


Queen of Scores

by Sternenstaub



Category: Original Work
Genre: Assault, Betrayal, Dystopia, On Hiatus, Writing Prompt, human worth, suddenly famous
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-08-14 05:33:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 23,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8000395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sternenstaub/pseuds/Sternenstaub
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world ruled by a machine, creating Scores that are determining your worth and place in society. What do you do if you suddenly get changed from the lowest to the highest rank there ever was?</p><p>The writing Prompt was the following: "There is a device that assigns you a percentage score of how important you are to the world. Most people are 0-5. The president is 60. Your score just jumped from 1 to 99." I just tweaked the scores a little.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Das Gerät

Today two hundred years ago Thomas Edward Luck invented „Das Gerät“. This incredible machine could calculate the importance of every member of society. Importance, not worth as was stressed over and over. It could be a number between 1 and 99, which had been unheard of since the invention.  
The usual numbers were between 5 and 45.

At first the calculation was a mere party trick. People let themselves be estimated and laughed at their poor or great results. 

Soon big companies treated those results more serious. They started only accepting application with your calculation added. They only hired people with certain numbers of importance for certain jobs. Nobody wanted a secretary that could have been president or would be some day. 

White collar jobs were only given to people with a score between 20 and 30. Business managers became an average of 40-45. Most important politicians were a straight 50. The biggest and best of them sometimes even up to 60. 

Everyone under a 10 had no chance for non menial jobs. A nice looking 16 could sometimes get lucky and a lowly paid secretary job. But nobody would ever promote her.

This kind of business agenda slowly changed in a whole view of the society. “Das Gerät” was improved over and over until it could determine a persons importance at the age of ten.  
Parents poured out to the machine, wanting their children to get tested in hope of them getting a higher score than they had. Soon the scoring system became mandatory. Every child had to get a score or would receive no further education, resulting in a later score below 5. A score where most people starved and were homeless.

The children would get sorted into classes after their scores and would only receive an education in jobs they could work in later. They would get a little chip implanted that showed everyone their score when read with a scanner.

A few decades after the children got not only sorted in classes but families after their scores. Big houses were erected for 5-15, 15-20, 20-30 and so on. Every child had to leave their parents in order to receive the fitting education. Soon nobody questioned this system anymore. After all “Das Gerät” was infallible, it knew best how their children could be most useful for society.

Crimes started to be punished by the score of the victim. Making crimes against fives almost without punishment at all but with everyone over ten your penalty was multiplied by their score. Hit a 45 in anger and never would you come out of prison again.

The world stopped being separated by countries, the best scored people became automatically elected leader and people only had to choose which country they could rule. There had always been around 500 people on the whole world with a solid 65. Those 500 separated the world into nations with roughly the same amount of every score. Every nation had enough menial workers and enough educated people. They were all the same in account of average income and level of education and poverty.  
Soon nobody could remember any longer how live had been before “Das Gerät” had been invented. Thomas Edward Luck was declared the most important person on earth. With a score shortly before his death of 69.

Today every nation worldwide celebrates the day “Das Gerät” had been invented. All leaders declared it the greatest invention ever and every important person was very satisfied with the way things were. Politics had become so much easier since only the high numbers could be elected and you were only allowed to elect within your decade. A 20 would never vote for the next president but could elect their next town mayor.

And now there is me. When I was calculated at the age of ten I was given an almost unheard of score. 

A solid 1. 

My parents had not changed a word with me since then. Scores under 5 had no houses they would be educated in. We were more or less left for our own devices. They fed us until we became 16 years old, then they told us to find a job and take care of ourselves. Every year and in every nation there where at most 5 Ones and almost none ever lived until the age of 18. With the way crime was treated we were fair game.

Today I am celebrating my 19th birthday. I believe I´m the only One left in my nation and last time they bothered with statistics of “under fives” they calculated there would be around 20 Ones in the whole world. Though I wouldn´t know. The last time I had seen people I was 16 and thrown out of our shabby shelter. Instead of travelling to a city in hopes of finding a nice old 20 who wanted unpaid help around the house and would let you stay for free and not murder you in your sleep because she could, I decided to live in the woods. I had broken in quite a few libraries after I had been categorized a One. They had taught us to read and I was determined to learn everything I could.  
I started snatching books about adventures, soon they were just survival books. 

At 16 I knew what berries to eat and how to hunt without modern weapons. Sometimes I could steal some oil and would have electricity for a few hours to listen to the news and if I could not avoid civilization I would watch TV in the homes I had broken into to find the devices I could not create myself.

One evening I listened to the world nation news and the lightnings already started flickering for my generator would loose power soon. Just when the news were supposed to finish they had breaking news. Reportedly “Das Gerät” had told them a new calculation.  
It had shown them a calculation saying a One had been miscalculated and had been supposed to be a 99. Apparently the former software upgrade had not been set up for such a high number and skipped to the beginning thus it was mislabelled as One. Now they were mustering all Ones in the world and scanning them to see if their chip ID matched the criteria “Das Gerät” had calculated. Good thing they would not catch me.

A few weeks later my bandages had run out and I needed new antibiotics as well. Once I got actually sick and my pile of medicine was empty. A mistake I would never make again.  
I darted in the dark into the city 2 days foot travel away from my little home. Everyone seemed to be asleep, the TV was running. Since 3 President ago it could not be turned off any longer. Everyone had to watch the local score news to know what their numbers were supposed to work on the next week. 

The breaking news were on mute right now, the big flashy texts and the bottom telling me they still had not found the miscalculated One. It had probably been killed by someone along the way and the killer only got some days detention or something along those lines. I had no time dallying around. I needed to find the medicine cabinet and take everything I could and dart out without anyone seeing me.

Just when I thought I had made my best break in yet, everything went to shit. The security system that had ignored me until now suddenly remembered it´s job again, the home owners dog started barking in the yard and they woke up. The police (all 33´s) had already been informed and dispatched a patrol. I could not get out. Every door had been automatically locked. What had I done wrong this time? The systems were always easy to circumvent.

The police patrol found me in the kitchen. I had no weapons. I was not stupid, they would use every chance to shoot a One they could get.  
I was lead away in handcuffs, stubbornly refusing to tell them my score so they would know which police station would be responsible for my crimes. They brought me to the 30´s station and looked for their chip reader a real long time. 

I was dying in fear. So many criminals that could kill my without any kind of punishment and they were putting me in the midst of them. Good thing everyone assumed I was a 30 in a 30´s police station. Once they had finally acquired their reader they pulled me out of my cell quite hard. Making me scratch me knees and arms trying not to fall face first while I was still wearing handcuffs.  
“You are probably a 5.” one sneered “Nobody else would refuse giving their score.”

They put me on a very uncomfortable chair and yanked my arms in front of me. I almost felt my shoulder pop. Once they found the part of my arm the chip had been implanted for life, they started reading it. Though it was a hard call for the little machine. It had to read through many scars. I had tried more than once to simply cut that stupid chip out but it was impossible.

Once the number was shown to them they suddenly all went quiet. The one who had sneered at me was white as a sheet and sweating profusely.  
Suddenly they all were in a hurry. My handcuffs were released, I got a nice chair with a pillow to sit on. One officer brought me hot chocolate and absolutely everyone was apologizing to me. I was beyond confused. Why were they treating a One like this?  
Suddenly the sneering officer was grovelling on his knees before me, tears in his eyes. “Forgive a lowly 33 please.” he pleaded “had we known you were a 99 we would have never touched a hair on your body. Please, forgive me, please forgive our station.” What did he say? I was the 99 they had been looking for? That could not be possible. I was as unimportant as I could get. I had not interacted with humans for 3 years. How could I ever be the most important person ever born since “Das Gerät”? My head began swimming. My vision blurred to black. I saw a lot of frantic faces until I was surrounded by black. I had not eaten since yesterday morning when I had to leave the woods. The stress had been too much it seemed.


	2. Equity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had actuall wanted to wait a bit more before posting this chapter but since LonelyAgain was so excited about this story i decided to post it early. Have fun.

I woke up in the fluffiest bed I had ever lain in. I was surrounded by pillows and the room was the nicest and cleanest I had ever seen. I was very confused until I started to remember the things that had happened after my capture. Could I be a 99? There had never been one. Every powerful world leader was at most a 62 these days, the most powerful one had won many political debates and almost caused a world war, something unheard of for the last 200 years, and he had been a 67. 

Many believed every person with a score higher than eighty would ascend into godhood. There was even a religion called “above 80”. The churches of it preached about a new god that would show us our true importance in the world by understanding things better than anyone under 80 ever could.   
They were waiting for their messiah with a score so high nobody could ever touch him and nobody could overrule him. The churches had spread quite widely the last twenty or so years. 

Most powerful scores disliked the idea of a messiahs even more powerful than them and tried abolishing the new religion, telling them “Das Gerät” was the only one they should believe in but many middle and low scores liked the idea of one ruler more powerful than every leader of every nation had ever been.

If the messiah was supposed to be an 80, what were they going to think about me?

I heard the door of my new quarters open. It was not squeaking nor jamming, I had never seen such a nice door.   
I had grown up in a home of 20´s and then got deported to the under 5 facilities and even there they had a separate “bedroom”, more like a cupboard, for the One. Real white walls and glass windows with integrated monitors showing you the weather and news. I had heard of such wonders, but never seen them.   
Technological inventions travelled slow between scores. The only machine everyone knew was “Das Gerät” and it´s countless little servers all over the world. Every town could access the calculations for the children directly but since 100 years ago someone tried changing the program of “Das Gerät” nobody knew where it was hidden anymore.

A very nicely clothed women entered the room, looking pensively around and over my ragged clothes and bruised limbs. “Would you please allow me to look after your wounds?” she asked with a little curtsy. I was being curtsied at? This could not be right.   
I nodded silently and she delicately bandaged the little bruises I had gotten yesterday. Not sharing an unnecessary word or making more movements than necessary. It felt like she was afraid being near me. I was still too shocked to even think about asking her what would happen now. What was I supposed to do? “Please rest honoured guest, we will bring you our best choices for breakfast shortly.” she bowed out with another curtsy and a very frightful look on her face.   
I was alone again. In the nicest room I could ever imagine, in the nicest bed I had ever touched and looking forward to a abundant choice of food just for me. And I had never been so afraid in my life.

 

The food was brought up from 3 young boys that did not talk at all and made no sound moving. They brought rich platters of bread and soup, of eggs and bacon. I even saw a brown beverage that smelled so sweet it could only be the famous hot chocolate they only ever gave to 30´s and above. They asked if I needed any assistance and left after I shook my head, still too confused to think straight. But my grumbling stomach sure knew it´s priorities. I had not eaten for a long time and the best food of the district was standing right in front of me. I snatched eggs and bacon and some still hot bread, got the whole can of hot chocolate and scurried back to my bed. It felt safer than sitting exposed at the table next to the floor length windows.   
I tried everything carefully first, making sure I would not get sick. Food poisoning had not been fun the first few weeks in the woods before I learned how to store food right. The chocolate was the best thing I had ever tasted. It was a rich sweet flavour a little bitter towards the end and I downed half a can before even starting with the actual food. The bacon was crisp and in an abundance I had not seen since the last president had gifted everyone a great meal for his “election”. I ate as much as was possible and a bit more after that. I did not know what would happen next but I did know I would not go in there hungry and frail. 

The Door opened another time when I had finished stuffing as much food as possible into my stomach. The guy greeting me looked like some kind of Stewart and was standing straighter than my visitors before him. He even looked me straight into the eyes, something that had not happened since my new status became known.   
“Follow me please.” he almost commanded courtly. 

I stood up slow, not trusting this guy anymore than I did the others so far.   
I was led through a long corridor, more nice doors and technological advanced windows all around me. It looked like picture I had seen of Hotel rooms for our leaders. Only the highest scores were ever allowed into these halls. 

At the end of the corridor a enormous winged door was waiting for my entrance. Behind it lay a very bright room, with around 20 people sitting at a round table. All of them were very well clothed and some faces I recognized. Was I standing in front of the leaders of the districts and nations around? That could not be possible, they could not be here so soon even if they did need to talk to me.   
Had I been unconscious longer than I had expected. Was I even still near my home? I had been so preoccupied with the notifications on the windows not once had I looked out of them to see what was around. How could I be so careless?   
Standing in front of so many people after so much time alone I must have looked like a deer captured in headlights.

None of the persons in front of me looked as friendly or even frightened-awed like the few people I had met before. They were all frowning and had been debating animatedly until I opened the door.

“Good afternoon” the President of nation 6-5 greeted me cordial but his eyes were cold. “We are glad you could make it to our impromptu meeting of over 60´s. Sadly not all leaders have arrived as of yet but we can´t adjourn the meeting any longer. The media has broadcasted the existence of the famous 99 already for some time but never would we have thought to find them. Please take a seat. Your score dictates you are to participate in this discussion.” 

I was lead to a seat right next to some minor politician I knew the face but not the name of. I had spent the last 3 years hiding and not seen much about politics.  
“Would you first please tell us your name? I am Thomas Luck Moreau, President of district 5-8.” another suit introduced himself. Being named after the inventor of “Das Gerät” had been incredibly popular the last 200 years but even having his last name as given name was not quite so common.  
“Just call me One” I had been treated for this number my whole life, they should always remember that.

The round looked a little uncomfortable at my statement. They were clearly not used to people speaking their mind. 60´s received a whole different level of education after all. They were drilled for politics from the age of ten. I must be an offence for their delicate senses.

“To return to the task at hand. We had discussed what part in society would be fit for you. All leaders of all nations are currently elected, we can´t just exchange one, that would be against their right of score. But maybe we could create a position just for you. What would you think to be fitting for your abilities and inside your score?” 

They were talking to me like they could actually decide my fade. If they were honouring the right of scores I was their superior. But at the same time I had been raised a One, I had always been the last to ask questions and the first to be told to do menial tasks in our house. I was unsure how to react. I should just listen to their suggestions, if I disliked the way they were going I could still overrule them.

“We would suggest a honourable equity position. You would get informed about the most important political tasks and question, could decide equity appeals and would not have to bother with too much bureaucracy. Would you be amenable to that suggestion?” 

It sounded like a sweet life. I would be widely known and would not suddenly carry duties I had no way of handling and I could make the world a fairer place. But would I become just a glorified monarch?   
Would they let me overrule them?   
They had to.   
I had every right to unseat them, had I not?

If I was a 99, I would act like one. “We could try your suggestion for a trial period of 6 months. If I think it is to my liking we can continue like that.” And if they would not be true to their words I would be already widely known as the 99. Nobody would question my authority once they knew my face and score.


	3. First Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your awfully nice comments. I am so happy this story is so well received. You guys seriously made my day!

Two months later I had gotten used to “royal” banquets and subjects wanting my approval for just about everything they did. I was the highest regarded human on earth. Even my birth parents had tried to contact me in hope of finding an occupation and favours outside their score but I never acknowledged them.

At times I questioned my score late at night. High scores were the calculated importance of that persons to the happenings in the world. Being a 99 would mean I had the future of the whole calculated world on my shoulders. But that could not be possible. I was not even holding real authority right now.   
But I loved to be this highly regarded. I was important, everyone wanted to hear my opinion and would follow my advice. I could kill someone just because he had bored me and nobody could say anything against it. I also could marry Lovers that never could have achieved that status on usual ways. 

In my second week I had a petition of a 29 and a 31. they wanted to be married. They had worked for the same concern for some time and found each others company very enjoyable. After some months of fighting that attraction they gave in and fell in love.   
They knew they could never move together or marry outside their score the way they were. They told me they loved each other dearly and wished to marry and for the right for a child. They were almost desperate and could not hide their feelings any longer from society. But I could not just abolish our whole score system. I would not wreck anarchy on the whole world just because a 20th loved a 30th. But she was fairly close to a 30 anyway.   
I deliberated for some days if I had the authority to lower or raise ranks and in the end I raised her to a 30. Changing her whole life for the better without changing his as well. She had looked pregnant already even if they had no written child permit yet. But I would not want the child to be treated like I had just because their parents where loving in the wrong group of ten.

After that I got many appeals for equity decisions nobody else could or would make. Everybody hoped I would improve their chances in life. I thoroughly enjoyed being a peacemaker and sometimes having enough power to cause wars if it would please me.

The food had never been better in my life, the bed was so comfortable I would never be able to sleep in the first hotel room ever again and I had never been treated better.

I got personal servants, knowing my every need before I even had to say a word.

Some days I was afraid the power would start to consume me but then I had to think about all the possibilities I had to improve the world. I could right little wrongs and thus the world would become a better place.

But I still felt lonely. All my 19 years I had been so low in the food chain nobody had wanted to be seen with me. Now I had been raised so high nobody dared to approach me. I wished for friends, companions that understood me.

One day I noticed one of the attendants actually looking at me, smiling shy and instantly looking away once I noticed them. That evening I found an bigger cup of hot chocolate than usual in my room, still steaming and little fluffy sugary things that were called marshmallows, I remembered. I tried dipping them in the chocolate and was instantly addicted to the sugary sweet taste. I put a little thank you note on the cup and a few days later the same cup was waiting at my bedside again with a little note attached, I should try ripping the marshmallows into little pieces and let them melt in the chocolate.   
It was heavenly. 

The next day I was looking out for the nice servant with the great chocolate and beckoned her over. She looked a little shocked about such an open display of attention from me. Since she looked so scared about talking with me in the open I just asked her to meet me this evening in my room.   
I wanted to thank her for caring for me and hoped she was not afraid she had done something wrong or overstepped boundaries with the last note.

That evening I was waiting with two cups, a big can of chocolate and a bowl of marshmallows. The attendant entered my room wary but relaxed once she saw me smile and hand her a cup of steaming chocolate. “Your honour, I hope I did not presume too much suggesting new drinking habits. I had been told you had a preference for hot chocolate and heard marshmallows were a great addition to the taste.” she bowed before me, still afraid.   
“Please sit down, I wanted to thank you actually. You are the first one to actually suggest something on her own to improve living here. I still do not know everything about this kind of live and would be pleased if you would continue to help me.” She smiled at me, still shocked and with wide eyes but took a sip of her cup of chocolate. “It would be an honour.” she answered. 

“Please sit down, if you are to be my personal advisor in housekeeping matters, we should be able to talk freely.” My smile and jovial tone seemed to calm her enough to relax a little more. “First please tell me your name. I presume you know mine already?” She nodded “I am Kristin, a 34, I am pleased to meet you One.”  
“Now tell me, are there any other delicate things the world has hidden from me so far?” Kristin laughed, telling me about something called cotton candy and peanut butter.

We soon build a comfortable friendship over late night cups of chocolate and peanut butter jelly sandwiches.   
Once a week I would find a new delicacy in my room with a little note attached to it and two days later we would meet and talk about the things I liked or would like to try and the things Kristin would like to improve in the housekeeping matters. She became a trusted attendant and soon lead the whole kitchen staff. 

She also started to trust me with personal matters. Telling me about her birth parents and how she sometimes saw them after work. Usually parents did not interact much with their children once they got taken away into their training facilities but at times the relationship was rebuild once the child was an adult and worked in the same group of ten or even company. If they decided to stay in the same city they could see each other. Not many children wanted to do that, growing up without parents usually made them too independent but sometimes it worked out. It seemed like Kristin was one of those exceptions. She still loved her parents dearly.

I had finally made a friend.

I got fond of the live I had. 

But some things bothered me. I had noticed a stark recline in political inquiries. While at the beginning I had 3 whole days the week assigned for political questions and debates, playing peacemaker and sometimes parent for political disputes sometimes over stupid reasons.   
Once one nation thought they had not enough 30´s and the 20´s were on the rise, so they wanted to build an exchange program, of course nations with more 30´s did not want to loose those. But the society could not uphold with just high ranked workers. We needed the little people and everyone had to accept that.   
Of course only volunteers would migrate. But some nations wanted compensation for loosing the more important people, one even wanted to be paid to let 20´s migrate. They all were talking about them like they were cattle. Gritting my teeth I had to interrupt after some time of senseless debate, telling them, yes, they needed a even percentage of all numbers for their society to work properly but no, we would not sell people into other nations. Everyone grudgingly accepted that. I was the 99 after all.

But now I only had about 1 meeting the week. And they never were about political important things anymore. I was only informed about minor diseases the population recently had or what crimes were on the rise.

At days my news channel would seem buggy. The news just broke off at times and continued after a few minutes like nothing was wrong. 

My people disliked me going out on the streets in fear of making a commotion. The famous 99 would make most people flee in fear of angering me. If I were a tyrant I could imprison most scores just for touching me by accident.

Thus I stayed in my tower most of the time, it was not a real tower but I liked to call it just that. Sounds better than awfully big house.   
I missed the woods and the fresh air. Kristin was there for me but even she could not replace the freedom I had had the last 3 years.

And I wondered how the population was viewing me. I only ever saw awed scores appealing for equity trials by me, but even those seemed to become less. That could not be possible. There had been so much wrong in the world, no way were people not trying to improve their life.

One day, three month after I had been given my position I decided to sneak out of my Tower. I needed air and the forest around me. I could not breath filtered air lacking any scent for a moment longer. And I just had to see how the population lived. I had been confined between the “under 5s” most of the time. I could almost not remember anything from before my tenth birthday anymore, if I was to decide things nobody else could, if I were to improve the conditions of people like I had been, I needed to know more. I had become complacent over all that luxury. But I could not forget my former life. That would mean loosing a part of me.

If I told anyone about my plans they would assign me bodyguards for my own safety, telling me I could not estimate the dangers I would be in on my own and with 3 big guys following me everywhere there was zero chance of seeing anything of what was actually going on, but going out without being seen would not be easy as well. The servants were always looking out for me, fearing and hoping I had another wish, always afraid I would be cross with them if something was not to my liking. I could still not understand how I could instill fear in the heart of my servants if I had only ever been nice to them. 

Maybe some of my tougher equity verdicts had made them afraid. I was not forgiving with criminals committing crimes against lower scores and then appealing at me for an even shorter time they had to serve. One had told me “But it was just a 3! I should not have to serve any time at all!” Just after saying that it seemed he remembered who he was talking to. He went white as a sheet and started apologizing but I did not let him utter one more word. His penalty was raised as if he had committed the crime against a 20. Everyone thought it was because he had shouted at me. Conveniently everyone always seemed to either forget or ignore the way I had been raised. But I knew he had reminded me of the people who had always thought they could use and hurt me and if the world had even one less of them it was a better place already.

Maybe I even had to thank him. Without ignorant people like him it would have been too easy for me to get used to my new found power and forget about the suffering of smaller scores. I had been raised in this system, I knew the bad parts about it, the wrong parts. Society needed people for certain jobs, but treating them differently just because of a number seemed more and more wrong. Especially since I knew the difference now in the most unusual way.

Now I just had to arrange some circumstances that would let me walk out alone and freely outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anybody wants to help worldbuilding. What would you think the city would look like? What would you imagine the architecture like? I´m looking forward to your ideas. The ones I like best may be implemented in the trip.


	4. Preparations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your great suggestions. I´m still open for more ideas.

Kristin was heavily against my plan to escape responsibilities for some time but she still helped me acquiring unassuming clothes, a backpack and helped me access my money. The hoodie and Jeans combo I would wear was not ragged enough to be thought to be a 5 but not too fancy either. I would look like a tired 25 I hoped. A number high enough nobody would try messing with me just because he thought he could but not so high people would be afraid to talk freely around me. No 25 ever held any actual power after all. 

I would hide my hair and most of my face under a hood and hoped I could breath freely for once. The eyes always watching me were stressing me out slowly. First I thought they did so, because they were looking out for me but lately I felt more and more like they were there to make sure I was not acting too much like my score.   
Ensuring I would not meddle in actual political affairs. The Position I had thought to hold power and would enable me to change things for the better was most likely just a ruse to keep me from politicking around. As 99 I had to be heard by the people, I could decide for the whole world with a nod but it seemed the leaders were not honouring the code of score if it was to their disadvantage.  
I could not quite believe they would act like that, but the seed of doubt had been planted and I just had to know what was going on outside my pretty tower. Even if I had to leave my beloved hot chocolate behind for some time.  
Kristin got me an unassuming grey hoodie and pale blue Jeans. They were a much better quality than I had worn until my 16th birthday but not as nice as the clothes I had gotten recently. The cloth was scratchy, they did not fit right and I was looking like a sack of potatoes wearing them. How easily one gets spoiled by luxury.

I was still not quite sure how to sneak out. My whole life I had been someone nobody wanted to notice. I could go wherever I wanted, nobody had ever cared. But now that was a detriment. I had no idea how to steal myself out of the tower without being seen. Guards and servants were everywhere, it would have to be at night.   
I was adamant I needed no attendants at night from the very beginning. First because I thought it creepy to know people were milling around while I slept, waiting for me to wake up. Then I just did not want anyone to have to work through the night for me. Now that was an advantage I had to use. If I remembered correctly the doors were guarded by an alarm system at night. I only had to find out the code.   
Should not be so hard, I was no prisoner here even if it felt like it. They should have no reason not to tell me the code if I asked. One of the guards I knew a little. His name was Jim and he was a 33, a former police officer that had preferred a job were he would not have to deal with quite as many people and since his score allowed for such allocations he was hired to guard the inhabitants of my current home. Nobody would have thought anyone higher than 60 would ever live here.   
They had wanted to change the whole staff into higher scores once it became known I would reside here but I had wanted the people that had worked here for some time to stay. The complex had seemed gigantic to me at first. I had not believed I could ever life in such a waste of space but soon I got used to too wide halls and too big rooms. But I still wanted to have people working here that could help me out should I get lost or find the wrong kitchen again.   
In my first week I accidentally strode into the servant kitchen, not the one I was supposed to use when I wanted to cook for myself. Everyone was suddenly scurrying around like I had whipped them. I was more than just confused and hurt nobody saw me as one of them anymore. I was just as far away from society as I had always been.   
After that I made sure to learn my way around the house, I did not want them to think I was spying after them, making sure they worked properly or anything like that. I couldn´t care less even if they only worked half the time. Everything was always immaculate, so I supposed they did their job well. Once I even heard it was an honour to be allowed to work for such a high score. I was still very unsure about that.

When I had walked the wrong corridor once again in the beginning Jim was the one to find me. Of course I was bowed to again, I would never get used to that. But suddenly I noticed a playful glint in Jim´s eyes. He was not as afraid of me as the rest. “Were you looking for the kitchens again, One?” he asked almost playfully. I laughed and groaned lightly. “It seems everyone knows I can´t differentiate between the kitchen in the first floor and my bedroom in the 5th.” Jim relaxed slightly, he had been afraid to be too forward but I was actually glad someone was simply acting like himself around me. We chatted a little until he brought me to my bedroom again, bowing out still with a curtsy but also a grin. I had not found a friendship as deep as with Kristin in him but he was one of the few attendants I knew with name and he always smiled at me when we crossed paths.

So I wanted to ask Jim for the code of the alarm system. I knew he could not just let me slip out. I was his superior only in name, the ones actually paying him were the leaders of the nations. Admittedly I got a pay on my own suitable for my score but I could not manage a whole household with attendants and guard from one day to the other on my own. Thus I knew he would get in a lot of trouble would it be known I vanished when he was on shift. I would wait until someone I did not know was guarding the doors in name only while actually monitoring me and sneak out when they were taking their 10 minute break.

So I caught Jim after his shift, with a cup of hot chocolate in my hand, grinning at him. “I thought you might like to try some, I put extra marshmallows in them. You are my favourite guard after all.” He smiled at me warily, we were on good terms but I had never waited for him after his work with a little gift. 

But he still took the cup, waiting for me to tell him what I actually wanted. “So, I noticed I could get locked in by my own alarm system and would not even be able to deactivate it. Would you teach me how to use it? For emergencies of course, not to make the lives of the guards I dislike harder.” Better he thought I wanted to aggravate some of his colleagues than guessing my real plan.

After some deliberation, a few pleading glances from me and some sips of chocolate he finally conceded and told me the codes for the system and how to turn it on and off. “If you ever annoy the other guards playing with it, making them run around all day, don´t tell anybody I helped you.” he went home with a smirk, probably hoping to hear hilarious stories the next few days. Sometimes I really liked this guy.

Now I had the codes and the clothes I needed. I deliberated for some time if I should tell Kristin exactly when I was planning to visit the city but I feared she would get in trouble and plausible deniability could possibly save her job. And I was still wondering why she was so adamant about me not going but still helping me. Maybe she was just worrying about my safety. I did not yet know how friends acted around each other. It was still so new to me.

I decided the next night would be the perfect opportunity to realize my plan. Jim would have his weekend then, Kristin was usually finishing work at 8pm and not starting until the next morning. I would sneak out in the very early morning. I was not stupid enough to go traipsing around an unfamiliar neighbourhood in the dark but once the sun had risen and the first shops opened up I should be fine.

I already felt better having an actual plan. A way to escape these confining walls. Never would I have thought high ceiling and grand rooms would still feel like a prison, but what was the saying, a gilded cage is still a cage. And I definitely felt trapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I´m sorry I lied. I had totally planned to visit the City this chapter but somehow Jim got in the way. He wasn´t even planned into the story!


	5. Free

That night I got ready to flee, well not to actually flee, I very much wanted to come back after seeing things for myself. I packed my bag with some necessities I know I would need and with as much money as I dared to carry around. I would not just travel through rich areas and lower scores knew each other, I would attract some attention, no matter what.

I laid my grey hoodie and unassuming backpack ready and set the alarm clock for 5am. I hoped that was a time every attendant was still asleep, they all were above 30 and had never needed to wake up early. I had not made them form that habit, since I liked some alone time in the mornings and had been used to waking up with the sun the last 3 years. It was interesting how fast people tend to forget where an important person came from. Even Kristin preferred not to speak about my past, saying it had been a tragic mistake that had been redeemed now and I should not worry about my past.

When the clock vibrated I instantly woke up, I was almost giddy to finally come out of these walls. I peeked left and right in every floor and door and was quite happy if a little rattled about the apparent lack of guards. If I was so endangered as they always stressed, should I not be guarded better? But right now that was to my advantage. I sneaked unto the entrance door unseen, quickly typing the code in and disarming the alarm. The wall around the garden had another code and I panicked for a moment when I could not remember it right away but got it right just in time before the alarm could set off.

Breathing a little easier already I stepped out of the confinement that had been my home the last 2 months. There was much to explore. I was in an entirely new neighbourhood, the woods that had been my home were more than a week long walk away. I was in a entire new area and never before had I really seen all the good parts of the city. 

The companies everyone could eventually work at, even if as Janitor, were usually placed in areas between 20´s and 30´s or in entire secluded areas, never would I have been able to walk freely in an over 50´s area in my old life.

Here the homes had many more rooms than any family ever had children, the ceilings were high, the walls white, everything was operated by computers that regulated everything, from the doors opening to the room temperature to the message for their servants what groceries to buy. Everything was white concrete, glass and steel. No house was older than 50 years or not recently renovated. I walked some time through the quiet neighbourhood, everyone was still asleep. It was creepy and serene at the same time. 

I wanted to get out of here, this was not my world. My tower at least had a garden with some trees and a little green but most of these home did have no plants at all, they were deemed unclean.

I soon walked into more alight streets. The second ring after the over 50´s was for the 40´s, the closer you were allowed to live to the middle of the ring the higher your score. Most of the 40´s were business managers and bankers. They needed to be awake for every time-zone at some time and many were already or still milling around their homes, the windows alight in blue and yellow and white, highlighting the stocks they analysed right now or the call they held.   
Most of them were working all day and it was no difference for them to get home or stay at work because the next call was always waiting for them. Nobody was outside at this time of the day. The sun started to rise and they all almost simultaneously closed their shutters so they would still see their monitors without the disturbing natural light. Quite creepy, actually.   
The houses here were not quite as big but still a lot bigger than any family would ever need and I had heard most 40´s were so overworked they tended to have no children at all. They were living a nice life with many riches but they had no time to enjoy them.

The longer I walked the higher the sun set and people were starting their day. The 30´s neighbourhood looked a lot like I had seen in most movies. Most actors were 30´s after all, often acting plays were they learned about their better heritage and a mistake “Das Gerät” had made (a very popular plot since my sudden rise) or falling in love tragically with someone outside their score but finally realizing true love could only ever reside inside their group of ten and they were better off staying were they were supposed to be.   
Of course, most of those movies were absolutely boring. 

The people were living in large apartment complexes with red brick built walls and around ten apartments in one complex building. They had elevators and enough rooms for every family member. If anyone got a child permit for more children than they had rooms, they would simply get allocated to a fitting apartment. The streets were wide with lot´s of cars parking and the lights were still on even if the sun was already spending enough daylight to see just fine. I walked through a mall of still closed shops, most of them intended for 30´s use only. A part of me wanted to buy those incredible things in the windows I would never have been able to afford in my whole life. But alas, I was not here for that. I took money with me but shopping was not my primary goal. But maybe I could buy some nice things on my way back? Surely the shops would be open by then and I did want to learn about society from all angles, wasn´t shopping an integral part of that?

Once I got into the 20´s section the morning had begun fully and shops started opening, parents were bringing their small children to school. You could see the worry etched in their faces if their child was almost 10 years old. But mostly they seemed happy. I decided to stop by a Café and get a cup of tea (hot chocolate was only served in higher areas), maybe they would have a TV, I was curious what the 20th news would look like. The TV in the wall window was already running, though it was still some kind of silly morning program, talking about the achievements you could make as a 20 and how you could help your child gain a higher score by teaching them early. Of course everybody knew those tips were as successful as the diet they would introduce next.

After that some stupid commercials showcased their latest products, most of them available for 20´s but some odd not, maybe to show them what they missed or for them to see what their children could once have. After that yawn inducing morning program the news finally started. The breaking news of the day was a new political decision banning the church of “above 80”. Apparently they had demanded the politicians to abdicate and to let the 99 handle the world affairs or at least for them to be under my sole commando, nothing more than pawns with no real power. The leaders thought these suggestions to be blasphemous since their position had been assigned from “Das Gerät” and banished the whole church. They said the official announcement had been 3 days ago but it had been discussed for several weeks already. Why had I not heard anything about it? Were the bugs in my TV deliberately keeping me away from certain events? I should have heard about some organisation, a widely known church at that, that was declaring me their saviour and would only obey my verdicts!

People around me started muttering about their leaders not honouring the code of score but expecting the little people to do just that. It seemed they were highly confused about my reasons for not simply stepping forward, grasping the power that should be mine. After listening to them for a while it felt like the lack of a willing replacement for the current leaders was the only reason the people did not outright rebel their decision. Why had nobody informed me of these unrests? 

I had heard enough and decided to wanders further into the lower ranks. There were only a few rings left, the 19-10, the 9-5 and the under 5. The buildings became shabbier with every step I took, most buildings old and crumbling in the single digits, some were even build from old rotting wood or had broken windows. Systems regulating your home or even brick build walls were officially for everyone but in truth nobody under 30 could pay for these things.   
But still somehow this felt like home. 

Not many people were on the streets, all of them had to work from day to night to make a living and were still just barely above actual poverty. The under 5´s usually were just plain poor and did not care for anyone else than their own family. I was going fast through this section. They all knew each other and anyone not belonging to them was fair game as long as they were sure nobody would notice it. 

If they ever got caught assaulting a higher score they would be imprisoned for good but most never did since the assaulted higher score was never to be seen again. Thankfully it was still late morning right now and I could walk relatively at ease until I reached the city borders.   
There was no big forest around like the one I had lived in but there were trees and bushes and wide fields. Of those I had to stay clear as well, most menial labourers were working there at this time of the year and they would either think me an intruder or a supervisor. Both assumptions would bring me more attention than I wanted right now. 

Some way further I could finally relax, sitting under a big tree, feeling grass between my fingers, hearing birds sing and crickets do their thing. This suddenly felt a lot more like luxury to me than any big home with glassed walls ever could. I was far away from society and scores and intrigues. I did not have to worry about other people.

I soon fell asleep, actually relaxing for the first time in almost three months. When I woke up again the sun had started setting already the fields were empty.   
Suddenly I was very afraid. I still had to go back all the way and the outermost ring of the city was not exactly save at night but if I were to stay here the whole night I was sure someone would start the biggest search party ever for me, turning the city upside down and into chaos, alarming everyone to my missing status and they all would look for me. Some to bring me back and never let me out again without supervision, some to get a ransom. Up until now they had not recognized me because a high score as me would never be seen walking around their streets, they had to be wrong it couldn´t be the 99 they just saw drinking tea.   
That would change, once they knew I was walking around outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I liked the idea with the rings both commentors basically had, whther we are on a mountain or not everyone can decide for themselves while reading ;)  
> more action in the next chapter, stay tuned.


	6. Search party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get to know One´s gender now (though the story title kinda gave it away).  
> As always, thank you for your comment.  
> @LonelyAgain Jim was already written before you asked me about him ;)  
> Warning. This chapter contains physical assault.

In the meantime Kristin was raising red flags all around the house. She knew the 99 wanted to see the city but still had hoped she had convinced her not to go alone. But now she had vanished this morning and it was clear what had happened. But why was she still not home? The plan had been to walk around the city and be back before night falls. Walking around the house Kristin asked every guard what they had seen at night, she could not have vanished without anyone noticing or helping her but all she found out was a malfunction of the alarm system at around 5am. That must have been when One decided to put herself into danger so recklessly! They had to search for her. The most important person on the world could not simply vanish. The city would be in chaos. 

Never would she leave for so long and to tell the truth she shouldn´t have left at all. The dangers waiting in the city for such an important person were unimaginable. And if anyone recognized her it would make her more vulnerable than she imagined. Most higher scores might just want to ask for favours but the lower scores would see a chance for abduction or ransom. Kristin snatched a few guards and put up a search party once it was clear something must have happened.

A small party of well trusted guards was gathered, seasoned ones that knew how to search the city without arising suspicion. Nobody were to knew the 99 was not in her house. The city would trip over themselves trying to be the first one to get to them.

Jim was worried, he had inadvertently helped his new friend escape a home that was never meant a prison. Why would she run away? He was worried.   
That girl had grown up under hard condition, he knew that, but the young woman he had met was a small, gentle mannered girl that wanted to be treated like an equal. Big blue eyes had stared at him the first time they had met, looking confused and frustrated with herself and her inability to find her way. He knew it was not his place to talk to her so companionable but somehow this girl did not seem like it wanted to be treated like the score she was. It must be a very lonely life, everyone just seeing the score and never the girl for her whole life. Those big eyes somehow tempted him to tease her. That day he saw her laugh for the first time since she had come here.   
The only one she had seemed comfortable around so far had been her personal assistant Kristin. Jim was not one to trust people easily, his time working in the police department in charge for the 20´s made him see the world in a darker light. Even with his 25 years he knew this world had sides most people were better of not seeing. But those innocent eyes had a shadow in them telling him she knew those dark places as well but had not lost hope. He wanted to guard her from any more harm from this moment on. 

They had cultivated a nice form of companionship even if they had never become close friends. Jim was her guard, he could not feel too close to his client or his job would become impossible to manage, or so he told himself.  
He was worried she had been away for so long. She may know how to get along between low scores but in this city she knew no one. Anything could have happened to her!

They started searching the rings, careful not to be noticed. But so far they had had no luck. 

I tried sneaking unseen through the under 5 area but of course clothes like mine and a full bag arose attention. I looked too high in score to walk around here in the dark, that could only mean I was either stupid, out for an adventure or simply had lost my way from the fields home big way. Either way, they would think I was easy prey and not likely to be missed soon. In my days even I would have been tempted to rob me.

I felt eyes on my back and saw people hiding in shadows, inspecting my attire and guessing my probable score. 

Would I be worth the trouble they could get into? Was I too high in score and they would have to fear severe repercussions should I vanish? Or was I unimportant enough not to be missed soon and still had more money at me than they would earn in a week? 

I knew those thoughts. Many thugs had tried to hire me once I had left the facility. If you were unlikely to even get a job for menial tasks most people had to resort to crime to survive. But I had known there were other ways.   
Most low score criminals were poor and never lived for long. Sooner or later they would miscalculate a score they tried robbing and suddenly the police would be chasing them, pouring down the streets and catching them within a day. Those that had hurt middle scores usually would be sent into working camps, for years, had they committed several small crimes to be convicted of as well often for the rest of their life. The ones that had relieved higher scores from their burden of money were not so lucky, most of them were never to be seen again. The facilities told us criminals would be imprisoned and had to work there behind closed walls but to tell the truth, nobody had ever seen those prisons from the inside, we did not know what happened there. Thus I had refrained from ever committing any crimes against higher scores personally, I preferred a simple burglar style and the solitary lifestyle I had led until that one stupid mistake.

Behind a corner I could already hear some people talking in hushed whispers, I was sure they were up to no good but there was no other way around, the street had me either go forward or straight back into the woods. At least I knew I was a fast runner. I had to be, since the One had been everyone´s favourite target, fighting on the other hand was not my forte. If you are the one who could serve a lot of time and would get in trouble should you hurt a higher score, you very fast learn to run away from every fight, even with eleven year old Fives.

I tried to sidestep the group waiting for me but they were too many.   
A big guy sneered at me. “Hello, little lamb, why are you out so late at night? Aren´t your clothes way too fine for this area? Should we bring you home?” He loomed menacingly over me. A few others were surrounding us slowly, laughing at his attempt to deceive me. Those were not your usual kind of thugs that wanted my money, those were trouble. I had to get away! They grabbed me roughly even as I tried running between them. The big one got a nice bruise on his chin from me but there were too many for me to dart through. I could almost outrun them when someone yanked me back on my sleeve. My arm was almost pulled out of it´s socket by the momentum and I landed hard on my butt. All breath left my lungs and I knew I was trapped. As a One nobody had ever bothered to attack me with so many people, I had not been worth the trouble.   
I had never been in such a dire situation. 

My bag got pulled from my shoulders and the sleeve of my hoodie tore wide. I struggled back on my feet, hoping they would be satisfied with their loot but the look on their faces told me that was not the case. Scrambling back against a wall I was surrounded once again. Was this the way the famous 99 was going to leave this world?   
They came closer, sneering and laughing, calling me names and telling me what they wanted to do to my pretty face. We high scores led such a nice live, surely I had some time to entertain them with stories about my home? And show them how nice you looked if you did not have to work all day and live in poverty.   
I was frozen in fear. They crept nearer and nearer, I could feel their stinking breath on my cheeks and their hands on my clothes. The big one glinted at me with a hand holding his bloody nose and a bruise sprouting on his chin. His look promised me his pain many times over.

Suddenly a door opened behind the thugs and someone was shouting for the police to come. What was happening here? No one under 5 would ever try saving a higher score if they wanted to stay living in their home.   
The thugs were just as confused and I could finally run away between them. They were preoccupied getting away first and stumbling over each other. 

Once I left the group behind yet another tug at my arm sent me flying again. I was pulled in an alleyway and a hand over my mouth kept me from screaming or biting. Was I wearing a big sign telling them “Rob me” on my head tonight? I was terrified and too tired to fight or run anymore.   
We stood there a moment until the streets were calm again, hand still over my mouth, at least this one was not grabbing me quite so roughly. It was actually quite sad I was glad for even just this. 

“I will release you now, please don´t try running away. Someone like you should not be running around alone at night, 99.” the guy holding me said, bowing slightly before me. I could hardly see a thing in the dark alleyway but I could make out a well build figurine and a glint in his eyes. “You know me?” I was astonished. And here I thought my disguise and lesser TV appearances would make my face more forgettable. “Of course I know our saviour. We were waiting for you for decades.” he curtsied at me once again lightly, though I could still hear the grin in his voice. Still, I wished people would stop bowing to me so easily. 

“Who is “WE”?” I was getting more confused with every second and the adrenaline was still running through my veins. My hands were shaking in fear and fury. I was not going to trust this guy just like that but talking seemed preferable to getting kidnapped and roughed up again. He looked like someone I could reason with even with the creepy smile and bowing worship thing going on.

“The church of above 80, of course.” he laughed. “They will be so excited once they hear I have finally found you and even got to save you. When we saw you in peril we knew we had to intervene.” he almost beamed at me. Was he worshipping me or did he have a crush? He looked at me like I was the first light he had ever seen. “Come with me please. We will get your clothes repaired. If you walk around like this you are sure to attract more unwanted attention.” 

He was right, I knew that and I had nothing to change into with me but walking around with a stranger went against everything I had learned my whole life. He could be lying to me for all I knew. “They will come looking for me soon.” I tried dissuading him. 

Suddenly I just wanted to go home, get a cup of hot chocolate and cry me to sleep in my too fluffy bed in my too big bedroom. The adrenalin dissipated slowly and I was going into shock. My body felt numb and I felt suddenly so very tired. The creepy smirking guy in front of me noticed my sad state and looked concerned at me.   
“You are not well and you are not going to come with me on your own, are you?” he told me with a frown and a very sad expression. “I beg your pardon.” he said, before I saw a hand coming down and everything went black.


	7. The church

Jim had heard a scream, he was lurking through the shadows in the under 5´s and suddenly a group of terrified people were running by. He hoped his One was not involved here. He did not even want to search for her in this place in fear of only finding a discarded body.  
Everything was too quiet after the commotion but he could not make out anyone else after the chaos had dissipated. Maybe One was already home again? He could only hope.

On his way back he remembered a story he had once heard about the young woman he was searching for. Her parents had all but discarded her the day her score was revealed and the facility for the under 5´s had no section for a one, therefore she had been moved into a far away facility that had once raised a one who sadly had died before he had come to age. The former one had been a small malnourished boy, who had been afraid of everyone and ran away at every opportunity. At night a few thugs had found and recognized him, knowing they could play with his fate at their leisure. He did not come back after that day. The story had been all over the news on the day the new one was to arrive. Never telling her name on TV but a new one was so rare the day one was calculated the news just had to report them. They left out no gruesome detail of the fates of most one´s, going so far as telling a 10 year old girl she would most likely never reach adulthood. And nobody would care, because she was not important and needed to know that.   
The little 10 year old girl that just had been moved away from everything she had ever known and had been forgotten by everyone the moment “Das Gerät” labelled her, did not cry in the face of her possible future. Her eyes glazed over and her lips trembled but not once did she cry or complain, accepting her fate.  
Jim knew the girl they were looking for was not some frail damsel in distress but a young woman who had grown through hardships. But he still could not stop worrying. As strong as she was, she was not invulnerable.

 

I woke up with a massive headache and the world spinning around me. I knew the guy could not to be trusted! Groaning I tried to lift my head but it felt too heavy. I could make out dim lights illuminating a small room with a low ceiling. With every flicker of the old lamps the dark came back. It was either night or there were no windows. After a few minutes the spinning seemed to lessen and I tried getting up again. It felt not nice but I was sitting at least. The room was very small and crumbling. The walls were old, the paint dissolving, the bed was creaking loud with every muscle I moved. I heard someone yell in front of my door. “She is awake, go get Thomas!” 

In some way I hoped I had been kidnapped by the church of “above 80”, They would treat me with a minimum amount of respect, I was their great saviour after all. Should the creepy guy have lied to me and some other group had kidnapped me, I was in big trouble. The name “Thomas” did not sound very promising, would a rebel keep the name of the inventor of “Das Gerät”?   
The door rumbled and squeaked when they finally opened it. The creepy guy that had first saved and then assaulted me was standing before me once again, my bag in his hands. “I am sorry for hurting you but we had to get away there and I was sure you would put up a fight. I´m sure you question my motives. I brought your bag with everything that was in it, I hope you don´t distrust me quite as much this way.” 

I caught my backpack and indeed, nothing seemed to be missing, but my throbbing head was still reminding me to be very wary around this guy. Or more like snake, acting all nice and kind and then knocking me out in the moment I did not want to do as he asked. The raven black hair and warm brown eyes looking hopefully into mine did nothing to apiece me in this moment. 

I wanted to growl at him but decided a more civil approach would be more appropriate. I did not yet know what they wanted from me. “Where am I?” He looked at least slightly guilty at this question. “We are in an underground base of the church of “above 80”. We were banished, as you probably know, but we still believe strongly our current leaders are misusing their power not accepting their place in the world rightfully, the church is needed more than ever. Please come to our meeting room, we would like to explain everything to you there.” 

I went with him, not like I had much of a choice in a building without windows and no idea where exactly I was right now. The rotunda they led me into was the first room I saw in this place with actual modern lights bright enough to see more than just where you were going. A big round table with a map was sitting in the middle and a few middle aged men and woman were turning around at our entrance. Every conversation stopped abruptly and shocked and awed looks were turned my way.   
I swear, when they start curtsying again I will scream! My guide/jailer Thomas cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed by the way I was greeted. “These are the leaders of our church. This is Henry, a 35.” He pointed at a man around his forties with grey hair. “This is Isabel, a 39.” A curvy woman with long brown hair. “and this is Bellatrix with her husband Marc, both 32´s.” An elderly couple around the age of 60. “I am Thomas, as you might have heard, a 41. We five lead the church right now. Our grandparents believed some day a score higher than every leader so far would be born and they feared the leaders would be too corrupt to acknowledge they would be no longer the most important being in our world. We are lucky enough to see their vision in front of us and cursed enough to also see their greatest fears come true.” A vision I was? So now we were at flatteries?

“I know about your church, but why am I here?” The others looked accusingly at Thomas and the woman with the long black hair said, “You told us some thugs knocked her out but you had talked to her beforehand. You were sent out to guard and investigate, we were surprised you approached her but thought it was inevitable in these circumstances. Please tell me, you did not kidnap our long awaited saviour, Thomas.” He blushed and looked away, more of an admission she did not need. 

The woman actually looked concerned now. “Go outside for now, I am sure our Saviour does not want to be in the same room as the guy that knocked her out and dragged her into some abandoned building.” she all but shouted. Once he was outside she took a deep breath and told me to sit down, she would get some tea and something for my still throbbing head. I remembered she was called Isabel and suddenly liked her much more. She was the first to think about my feelings and not to talk about me like I was some kind of furniture.

“Please sit down.” Isabel lead me to a surprisingly comfortable chair and put the tea in front of me. “As our unruly youngster has already told you, we are the church that have always believed into your birth. We firmly believe you will be the saviour of our world and change the right of score into what it should have always been. You are the highest score in the world and thus you should have power over all the leaders. You are the only ruler important enough to control the fate of us all.” The smile she gave me, told me she knew exactly how much they expected from me. 

Oh, joy. I am the highest score and the saviour of humankind. Could not anybody else have been miscalculated?


	8. The Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> memo to me: don´t post everything you have so far hoping it will make you write faster. It does not, it does make writer´s block though.

I swallowed the last sip of my third cup of tea, breathing deep and asked them “What do you want to do? How do you think you could change the current situation?” the three people were smiling at me, making me feel like I had somehow walked right into their trap.  
“We will get Thomas again and then we can start.” Isolde told me with a grin. She went to the door and yelled for him, not bothering searching first, and got me another cup of tea on her short way back. I heard some shuffling and a breathless Thomas was standing in the door. For one of their leaders he certainly listened very well to Isolde. “Am I allowed to participate again?” he asked slightly out of breath and very obviously happy to be allowed back in again.

I disliked his bratty attitude but nobody else seemed to mind.  
Isolde told him to sit down and our meeting began in earnest. The church wanted to broaden my TV appearances and make me the foremost person people were thinking about if they needed a problem to be solved. The leaders of the nations could not ignore me, if their subordinates were asking me how to solve every problem first. But for that to work we would have to change a great deal of things.   
First I had to get out of the grasp of the leaders and their money, without them suspecting me of a revolt. Then we needed more broadcasting station showing my face and talking about my decisions. The people needed to know I was the one making the rules now.  
Right now they had not yet grasped the massive amount of power the right of score gave a 99 and the leaders had not wanted to admit it. If the little people knew about my status and were relying on my vote to decide whether certain things were right or wrong, the leaders could no longer ignore me. They would have to start following my decisions in secret with no other choice, after some time they would simply have to admit my power over them.   
When we use the media to our advantage, we could overthrow the corrupt leaders, not honouring the right of score, in about a year. That at least was the plan. I was highly sceptical if the media would be reporting to me that easily and most of all I was not sure if I could actually rule the world. Could my morale compass be right for the whole nation?

Isolde stopped my doubts with a wave of her hand, telling me I should not worry about the execution. The church had planned for this since the day the news broadcasted the miscalculation.  
I wondered if the last 3 months would have been as easy for me had I been found by them first.

But first I had to get back to my tower. I was sure the guards were frantically searching for me and once it got known I was missing things would get messy. Everybody would try to catch me or say they manipulated me towards their believes. Looking at the clock I realized I had already been gone for more than 24 hours. I needed a cover story for my absence. I could hardly tell everybody I had slept in a field and got kidnapped on my way back.

The elderly pair that had not talked all that much until now was suddenly in the spotlight. “Bella and Marc are leading a 30´s small hotel. They only have a few rooms and are not very well known but it is very cozy and you could just say you decided to stay there because you had lost your way and it was getting dark already.” Isolde told me, gesturing towards them. Well, my guards would still not let me out of their sight ever again but at least nobody would suspect I knew the leaders were trying to subdue me. And the couple seemed nice enough. If anyone asked I even would have witnesses for my stay.

“Isolde could tell your guards she found you wandering and brought you to the next hotel. As long as everyone thinks you are just thankful she could go in and out of your mansion.” Thomas suggested. That actually seemed like a good idea. I could not sneak out everytime I needed advice or a status update and meeting my saviour for a cup of tea from time to time would be a nice excuse.  
At around midday they decided it was time for me to go. They lead me through a long corridor until I came out at a part of this underground building I did not yet know. The door opened to the 20´s section as it looked like. 

I went back alone through the whole city, ring after ring. In the 40´s section suddenly a man came running my way. “There you are.” he wheezed, “We have been looking for you all over. Where have you been?” Jim was standing right in front of me and even forgetting his usual distant behaviour, he really must have been worried about me. I was checked from top to bottom, hiding the bump on my head behind my fringe, and when he noticed my surprisingly good state, he accompanied me back to the tower, asking me on the way what had happened and why I had been gone? 

It was my first try spreading the story the others had come up with. It seemed like Jim suspected me of some ounce of falsehood but even when he wrinkled his forehead in confusion at some parts, he did not ask for clarification and I was thankful for that.

Once we entered the mansion Kristin was throwing herself at me. “I have been so worried about you! Are you hurt?” she sobbed against my shoulder. Had I worried her so much? She knew I had wanted to explore the city. But on the other side I had been away for a lot longer than I had planned. I hugged her back uncertainly. Just why she had been so worried, I was beyond confused.

I uncertainly patted her back and led her into the tower. She still clung to me when I got to my room but it seemed she had calmed down a little. “Go to bed, your are sure to get a headache after crying like that.” I told her. She was still looking at me with glistening eyes but trotted off. Should I have taken her into my room? I was tired, being knocked out did not actually equal sleeping in a fluffy bed. My eyes were heavy and I was still sporting a massive headache. “Stupid Thomas” I muttered.

“Who is Thomas? Why do you have a bump on your head? And most importantly, why did you not tell anyone you´re hurt?” I had not heard the door opening, these modern doors were a lot more quiet than I was used to. Jim was standing in the entrance, looking worried and angry at the same time. Why was he here in my bedroom, without knocking at that?

I stuttered, “Wh-What do you think you are doing in my sleeping quarters, guard?!” he flinched visibly being called guard. “I was worried about you, you were pale when you left.”Jim blushed and tried returning to his post. “I am sorry to have imposed on you.” I regretted my words immediately, he had always been nice to me and one of the few who had not treated me like a glorious doll. 

I was still sitting on my bed, eyes and head heavy but I could not let him go like this. I did not want to loose a friend. Starting after him I grabbed his elbow, he was visibly startled, I don´t think we had ever touched before. “Please wait,” I panted, I was really tired after the long night I had, “don´t go angry.”  
His eyes softened considerably and he smiled at me. Turning around he took my arm in his and led me back to my chamber. “You need rest, you really don´t look so good, little troublemaker.” I was relieved, he did not seem angry anymore, I still had to apologize for hurting him though. I told him to sit down on the only chair that was standing in this room, glad Kristin was always making sure my room was immaculate clean, where I left to it clothes would be lying around every piece of furniture.

Why was he blushing suddenly and playing nervously with his hands. Was it because he was in my bedroom with me alone? It was adorable in a way but I was to tired to think deeper about this. “Jim, you are not just a guard, I am sorry I said that.” I left my head hanging. He blushed even more. “Thank you, but still what happened to your head?”

Shit, I had hoped he had forgotten. “I-I fell?” I told him not very convincingly.   
“You fell on your head, on the exact same point someone would hit you, and did not think about telling us about it once you came home and even hid it from me when I found you? Why would that be, I wonder.” I knew he had been a police officer before becoming a guard but I had not realized he had been a good one until now.   
Could I really lie to him, would he believe me?


	9. little One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try updating every Sunday, more than once a week when the muse kisses me.

I flinched at Jim´s words, he was suspecting foul play somewhere. I liked him, I did not want to lie, would he help me should I tell him the truth, could I risk that? He was my friend but at the same time he was still paid by the leaders, had been working for the government his whole life, would he risk everything he had known so far for a girl he hardly knew?

I could not do that to him right now, I would risk his whole future for something I was not convinced of myself right now and I could not risk myself. My trust was something you had to earn the hard way.  
“I do want to tell you what happened but I can not. I am glad you care but please believe me when I say I´m fine... Please leave it at that.” I looked at him with pleading eyes. Would I loose a friend now, before we had even started forming a deeper bond? He was a former police officer, could he even let questions remain unsolved?

Jim´s forehead wrinkled in thought but his eyes stayed gentle. “At least let me have a look at that.” I released a breath I had not known I was holding, he would not insist on an answer.  
I gave him a relieved smile, “If that will make you feel better, Dr. Jim.”  
Was the big guy in front of me blushing right now? I giggled, it was too funny making him squirm. My smile an obvious happiness at his discomfort seemed to make him blush even more and he wrung his hands, not knowing what to do with them. 

“I am fine, don´t worry. I don´t need a check up, just some sleep.” The last part of my sentence was drowned in a big yawn. After just a little more fussing and making me promise to tell someone if I felt dizzy or sick, I was finally left alone and could sleep.  
I was knocked out as soon as my head hid the pillow.

I dreamed of my childhood, strangely enough I was not reliving it but rather watching my small self struggle.  
Dreaming in third person, well there were stranger things.

One day a boy had provoked me a tad to much and instead of running away from the annoyance, like I had been taught to by the other very small scores, I punched him in the face. I may have been 12 years old at that time, he was about 14. I still knocked him out cold with just one punch. At first I didn´t even know what I had done, I had been happy and afraid and annoyed. I was crying in anger and fear.  
Once my wits had come back I had realized I had just punched a five out. An older five at that. They were going to make me pay dearly and nobody would do a thing about it as long as they did not endanger my health seriously.  
I got frightened and ran away, not the smartest move looking back. Children were not allowed to be out after dark or leave the boundaries of their facilities without permission. I did not care about that, tears streaming down my cheeks I sprinted through the alleys.  
Soon I did not know the buildings around me any longer. It was still bright outside but I had never been in this part of the city. Things were looking much cleaner here, not as nice as my parents home had but a lot nicer than my small room under the cupboard. My little self panicked, people were seeing my poor attire and dismissed me without a second thought. I was alone in a strange neighbourhood and punishment was the only thing waiting for me at the facility. I broke down, sobbing into my knees, hiding my face from the world. Why had I been the One, why could I not have been a 20 like my parents? Why was life so unfair?  
Little me still did not understand the sudden change she had to go through even though it had been 2 years already.

After a few minutes an old lady stopped, “Are you okay, little one?” I cringed at the name slightly but looked up, still sobbing. “I - I lost my way.” She seemed genuinely nice, maybe not everyone would treat me bad just because of my score. She smiled and told me to come with her, she would bring me home. In my panic I did not even think about the fact that she never asked me where my home was and followed her blindly. I just wanted to be somewhere else and was happy somebody was nice to me. We walked for about five minutes, she talked amicable with me, not once asking about my score or age or where I needed to be. It was nice talking about normal things for once. About my school and what I was good at or disliked, how I loved reading adventure novels and was just learning about edible plants in the library since school did not teach that.

After a while I had calmed down enough to think straight again and started to wonder where I would be lead to. The buildings looked more run down here, even though we hadn´t changed rings yet, it almost looked like we were walking straight towards an old fabric building. I was scared now, but did not know any longer where we had come from. The buildings were looming over me, the woman did no longer look gently but suddenly threatening. 

Just when I was ready to bolt, not caring where I would land next, it had to be better than this, I felt a hand over my mouth, grabbing me and trying to drag me away. I panicked and tried screaming but I was in tight hold. What was going on here? The woman stood in front of me, sneering, “Did you really think I would help a filthy low score? Did you think we would not see you for what you are? You are filth in our streets, sitting around, begging. Why can´t you lot not stay where you belong? You are no better than work animals and should be treated like them!”  
The more she talked, the louder she got, at the end I was yelled at, feeling her spit drop down my face. The one holding me captive just grumbled his approval of her words. I was dragged into the old two story building I had seen before. They manhandled me pretty bad. One moment the guy behind me got distracted, telling me where he thought I belonged for all my life, caught in a workers building on a farm, working like a slave until I dropped dead. But while he rambled on I took my chances biting in his hand as hard as I could. He screamed right into my ear but I was free for a moment. The door was still open and the woman too shocked to do anything right in that moment. With ringing ears I dashed forward as fast as I was able to and couldn´t believe my luck once I actually got away. If I had been any slower I surely would have been caught again.

Panting, I slowly trotted down towards what I believed would be my ring. I did not dare to stay still any moment longer. My whole body shook, I was crying, sobbing, but nobody seemed to mind me. After some wrong corners I came into a familiar street and finally found the facility. The house-mother was already waiting for me with a stern look that softened slightly once she saw my ragged appearance. “Where have you been young one?” she said with not quite as much spite as I was used to. I still had no voice, had only just stopped sobbing uncontrollably. She simply sighed and sent me to bed, we would talk tomorrow. Once I was alone and relatively save I broke down. I had trusted that lady, how could I have been so stupid. Everybody hated me, I could not trust anyone fully. 

That was the moment I realized what being a One really meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kids, never follow strangers!


	10. In between

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this chapter is not up to par with the rest I apologize. Having a cold makes thinking straight hard. The next one will have more action, I promise.

Startled I woke up. Feeling displaced in my fluffy bed and the big warm room. I had expected the old room under the cupboard in the first moment. It was still dark outside, I had fallen asleep very early and now it was just 4:30 as my alarm clock happily flickering told me. But sleeping was no alternative anymore. My heart was pumping in my chest and I had an adrenaline high almost as bad as on the day itself. From all the bad memories I had of my childhood this was easily the scariest one. And the one still following me through every interaction with others.

The dim light in my rooms showed me everything I needed to see, I got up and decided to go through some paperwork. Even if the leaders sheltered me from the real problem that did not mean I had nothing to do. Many smaller appeals were waiting for me, they were trying to bury me with them so I would not even notice the lack of actual meetings.  
A 15 felt he was treated like a 14 at work, a 19 had gotten the job of a 20 (lucky guy) but not the pay and was complaining.  
The appeals breaking my heart were always parents begging for a recalculation for their children, begging me to let them stay in the same ten of scores. My parents had just cared about my score, leaving me alone as soon as they could. I did not know if they had a child permit or if I had been born in a time of local required procreation. My live with them had not been bad, I had not been sure whether they loved me or not but I had been happy and well fed until “Das Gerät” told them my score, suddenly they were just shadows disappointed with me. At times I was jealous about those kids with loving parents, that wanted to try everything possible so they might stay together a little longer or at least know their children will lead a good life. Something I had never experienced.  
When my parents had appealed to me once I got my current position, of course I had been appalled and furious, I wanted to teach them how wrong they were, show them what could have been had they acted differently and would now never happen. But I did not. After many hours of roaming through the mansion I came to the conclusion any kind of answer would just tell them I still cared and I did not want to care any longer. I had never felt so alone in my life as in that very moment.

I worked for some time in silence and dim light. The sun started setting and I felt my eyes straining less every minute. I had not switched the light on in fear of guard seeing me awake and starting to bother me. I wanted to be left alone. The last day had been a little too much excitement for my taste. After a few more minutes a reserved rap was at my door That was probably one of Kristin´s staff, wanting to wake me up. “My Lady, you have appointments starting in 1 hour.” she curtsied and left me alone once again. Why did they always curtsy, were they trying to be annoying? 

Wincing slightly from my unlucky encounter on the streets and sitting too long in that chair when I stood up, I got breakfast and took a good look at the clothes I had come to appreciate a lot more since I had to go back to wearing not as nice clothes 2 days ago. Was I becoming a pampered score? Maybe. But some things were really better on the brighter side of society. 

The rest of the day was over faster than I could blink, most of the time I was hiding from anyone trying to ask about my day outside. I told the staff I was expecting a visitor tomorrow. After some arguments about security checks and them insisting of two guards in the same room at all times and such, I was very tired and went to bed.  
I hoped my dreams tonight would be kinder to me.

The next morning began with a loud knock on my door. Kristin was waking me up personally today. She was more than just curious where I had met the guest we were expecting today and what had happened while I was away. She had tried asking a few times yesterday but I had not been in a mood to lie to her. And I may have been fleeing in fear of her crying once again. She really had made me a little uncomfortable. We were friends, I trusted her and liked her but we were not at the stage were we were clinging to each other, shouting our feelings out in front of the whole household staff.  
Sitting on my bed, she wanted me to answer all of her questions in detail. I could not do that but I told her the ruse the church had come up with. It seemed she believed me. She seemed very excited at my departure from the city and wanted to know exactly where I had been, where I had lost my way (as if I would know) and how I met Isabel and the Hotel owners. She told me we should send them a fruit basket as a thank you gift. She was afraid Isabel only had helped me to get more influence and wanted to use my score for her own benefits (if she only knew the truth). Kristin was peppering me with so many questions I had to throw her out of my room to get my clothes on.

At lunch Isabel was finally there. I had not realized I already missed a face not looking at me suspiciously or with awe until I saw her smiling at me. We did not yet know each other for long but she seemed to me like someone you could trust. Of course we had to act like this was more a courtesy call than a friendly visit. Sitting down, eating chicken for lunch, we talked about many things, none of them of any political importance. When she had to go she slipped me a little piece of paper in my hand, without the guards seeing.  
It said “Be alert, in two days time we will get into the national news network. You need to be available then. Don´t be late or we will fail.”

Well, no pressure at all. I needed a way to get out of the tower once again. I could not always snuck out at night. I decided to talk to a few guards. I was the 99, they could not simply ignore my orders. If I wanted to be left alone for a shopping trip, they would have to let me do just that. After the network broadcasted my interview it was no longer important what the leaders thought about me, I would not come back here. And I had to prepare a speech. The church had told me they would write one and prepare the question I would be asked but there was still a lot to do. I needed to know what I was talking about. People needed to trust me.  
My biggest fear was the leader of this district simply shutting the TV station down and nobody would see what we had to say. Everyone would believe I had run away and probably died in an accident. After some mourning the leaders would keep staying at their place and nobody would ever suspect them of not honouring the right of score.


	11. interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Girly fluff until shit comes down.

The guards did not like my wish for more freedom one bit. Jim was the loudest against my idea of “a shopping trip through the rings all alone”. “You will not walk unprotected through the city! Every small thug could kidnap you! Your face is too well known.” 

I had to admit he was right, I had seen what could happen once I was not invisible anymore. As long as I had been an exchangeable low score the world had made sense to me, accepting that I was important was very hard. Sighing, I said, “Fine, I will take one guard with me, only one, I don´t want you all to loose your jobs after all. I am happy Jim has already volunteered to go shopping with me all day. It´s going to be a girl´s day!” The other guards could not quite hide their amusement. It was their job to protect me but I was sure they were bored to death and quite happy they would not have to carry shopping bags as well. Jim stuttered and blushed, being suddenly in the spotlight of his colleagues´ teasing. With a broad smile I told him, “In two days, at 10am.” I would have to think of a way of loosing him while we were in the city or maybe he would just let me go alone to the interview as long as he knew where I was?

The days between were fast over. I could not quite hide my excitement at the prospect of free air and other humans. And even if I wanted to slip away, I actually was looking forward to a shopping trip. I was a girl who suddenly had some money and had never been allowed to have nice things. A small girly part in me, I would never admit I had, squealed in delight.

That morning Jim was waiting for me at the entrance, face bright red and fidgeting. On my way I had heard a lot of guards snicker and laugh about his girl day with the One. I bet he had heard all it s well, several times. With a bright smile I took his arm and pulled him forward. “Come on, old man.” And thus I took off with a stuttering guard and left a loudly laughing household.

It was nice to be happy and carefree for once. We started at the 40´s ring. It was famous for the fashion and accessories if Kristin could be believed. With my guard at my side people suddenly started recognizing me, pointing at me and nudging their neighbours to see for themselves. Soon a crowd was between me and the first shop I wanted to go into. It was a bright yellow one with funny bows and hats in the front window. But there was no coming through. People were crowding me, trying to get my attention but at the same time terrified of actually touching me. I was the 99 after all, if anyone hurt me accidentally even I could not save them from prison without ignoring the right of score totally. That sentiment lead to a huge bubble around me, not letting me through and not yielding in any way. 

“I told you so.” Jim said with a totally unrepentant grin. After some prodding and yelling from him we made it into the shop. The shopkeeper greeted me with big eyes and ushered all of her other costumers out. I wanted to protest at first but remembered the crowd outside and I really could do without staring while I changed into new clothes. After some strolling a very pretty navy blue dress with a white collar found me and some really pretty if unpractical high heels. I had never led a life where I could have worn clothes like that and my fingers itched to try them on. Jim was still hovering at my side, not letting me out of his eyes for one minute. “Are you trying to sneak into my changing room or why are you still following me?” I asked him, already knowing he would blush all over once again. Pushing his buttons, making him embarrassed was just so much fun. And as predicted, the big man at my side, so confident in crowds and guarding me, was reduced to a stuttering mess once again. 

Giggling, I left into the dressing room. The blue dress really did wonders for my eye colour, the high heels on the other side were a lot more uncomfortable than I had imagined. With a grimace I chucked them off and preferred walking barefoot out of the cabin. “So, what do you think?” I asked Jim with a little twirl. I knew very well I was behaving like a teenager on a shopping spree, but this afternoon would be stressful enough, I thought I earned myself a little fun before my life went to shit once again.

“You look nice enough, I presume? And the dress is pretty as well” Jim told me with a cheeky grin but turned bright red the moment after. Laughing I shook my head and decided to buy the dress. The shopkeeper started fussing over me right away, trying to give me shoes, a hat and a little purse. The purse actually looked cute and I took it as well. Little bright blue stones were glittering on a black canvas with brown leather strips.

After the first shop was such a success I was looking forward to the other ones. The crowd followed us everywhere but as rude as it seemed I simply started ignoring their pleas. I could not help them on the open street, not in my current position.   
I got a few trinkets and earrings but soon the sun was high and I knew I had to get to the news-station soon. It was not very far, maybe half an hour, but first I would have to loose Jim. I really hoped he would not get fired for letting me go alone through the city but I could not take him with me. He was too good of a cop to just loose me in the crowds, so I opted to talk with him. This would not be pretty. Sitting down at a nearby café I beckoned him to take the other chair. “You asked me what had happened on the day I had vanished and I told you I could not talk about it right now. I still can´t tell you everything but I need you to trust me. I need to go away for a few hours. Alone. You can´t go with me or follow me, please.” I begged with big puppy eyes, but this time Jim was not affected. He was looking at me with a serious expression and stormy eyes. “I can´t possibly let you roam around on your own. We have seen how that ends and now you look a lot more your score than last time.” he gestured towards my new dress and purse. I had hoped this would have been easier. I deliberated for a moment if I could take him with me, if I should tell him everything and hope for the best but too much was at stake. Sitting a little straighter I prepared my heart for what I would have to do now. “I was asking because I think of you as my friend and wanted to be nice. I don´t have to ask you to let me do anything, you know that. I WILL leave, ALONE.” I told him in the most authoritative voice I was capable of. His face suddenly fell, his shoulders hunched for a mere moment, eyes wide and betrayed and then he put on a neutral mask. “Of course 99. I am sorry to have overstepped my boundaries. I assure you I was only acting in your best interest.” It broke my heart to hear him talk like that, was Jim the next thing the scores would cost me? 

“Go home, please.” I told him in a broken voice. If I had to see his neutral face one more second I would break out in tears and tell him everything. The day had been so much fun, I had learned more about Jim than in the last months combined, he was actually funny in his freetime and now he was acting like I was just a job and I knew it was my fault.  
He went without another glance at me.

I walked towards the building where Isabela would be waiting. With every step my heart got heavier. Not only Jim was on it but also the big task in front of me. I would hold a speech in front of the whole nation, accusing the leaders of the world of corruption. I would stand up against the very ones trying to silence me and I was more than just afraid they would stop acting so nice around me and simply send assassins my way.  
The interviewer was already eagerly waiting for me, I was ushered into the building and right in front of a live camera. “Today we have the famous 99 for an interview live in our small station. I am curious to hear more about her.” the announcer told the world and the camera looked directly my way. I was frozen solid.  
Just when I found my voice again, Isabel hissing behind me to remind me of my script, we heard a commotion outside. The show had not been on for more than a few minutes and people were already gathering? Impossible. The ruckus became louder every second, I could not understand a word I was saying any longer, the news announcer seemed to panic, telling her crew to evacuate, they had found us. Someone must have told them what we had planned, there was no other way people would be here so soon. The last door broke and a crowd of maybe 20 charged the room, detaining everyone who was still present.   
A woman shouted “Get the One! Don´t let her get away!” I could not believe what I was hearing, Kristin was at the front of the crowd, leading them to my capture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gleeful cackle.


	12. Run!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my weekly update, the weekend will be busy, until next time.

Isabel tucked at me, yelling we had to run. I was frozen in shock. The first human I had trusted after I became 99 was betraying me? What had happened, did they threaten her or had Kristin always been a spy? 

Suddenly it made much more sense why she had been so adamantly against my leaving the mansion, why she had wanted me to change the little things slowly, why she had tried to lull me with sweets and kind words into a life of stagnation. Even her outburst when I had vanished for a night made sense, she had wanted to make sure I would never leave again without telling her. 

And it had worked, I had told her about the shopping trip, I had told her I would only take one guard with me and when she saw Jim back at the tower she must have known I was alone once again.   
The leaders monitored me since I ascended, I knew that but we had underestimated how close they were to me. 

The guards came closer and I could still not move. Isabel had to hit me once to wake me from my trance.   
Kristin was coming closer, a big thug left and right. “Come home, I have some hot chocolate ready for you.” she mock called me, trying to agitate me, to gain time until I reacted.   
I saw the danger in front of us and we turned tail. I was still fast and nimble but they had been too close already. Isabel pushed me to a door when I heard her scream.   
The guards had taken her, holding her down and chaining her roughly. “Run!” she screamed before one knocked her out. I could not help her, I could only be captured as well. 

I sprinted to the unfamiliar building, listening to the noises at my back. They were close but loud, I was alone and used to hiding, fast at running. At a turn I jumped down a flight of stairs and rolled through a door. The interview had taken place in the third floor. I needed to get down and out of here. I already heard shouting in the stairway. 

Faster. I needed to be faster. Panting I continued running, the door to the stairs in front of me was locked, cursing I turned into the second floor office room, hoping they were not waiting for me there.   
I had luck, they seemed to have all gathered at the third floor, so sure to capture us all up there, they had not bothered with guards. And they had locked the only way down. Looking out of the window, I speculated how much it would hurt to jump. A lot I presumed but the voices behind me were not really giving me the chance for a backup plan. 

Opening a window I climbed outside, Kristin yelled at my back, “You can´t get away, we will find you, the leaders want you for questioning! You are to be detained for treason on the right of score!” Standing on the ledge I took a deep breath and jumped. 

My bones jarred when I landed, my hands were bloody, my vision blurry, I did not look at my legs, I knew I did not want to see what they looked like, I needed to get away. “Go after her!” Kristin yelled from over me. Reeling from the jump I ran away. I ran until I could no longer breath, until me bruised bones were screaming at me to stop. Everything hurt, every single bone was probably bruised and I dearly hoped I was not leaving a trail of blood.

I sneaked into dim alleys and turned streets, trying to loose my followers into crowds but at the same time trying to be as inconspicuous as possible while limping and bleeding. Not an easy task, as I can assure you.   
When I had finally lost the last pursuer I found my way towards Bella and Marc´s little hotel. Panting and bloody I stood in the lobby. Good thing no guests were present. Marc rushed towards me, “What happened, where is Isabel?”

Fighting for air I huffed, “They got her, the leaders have captured her before we could even start the interview.” Panic and shock and deep sadness flickered over his face. He beckoned Bella over and quickly they closed the doors. Most likely they would never open again. If anyone had seen me entering or followed me until now, they would not be able to work here again as long as the leaders were after us. 

They ushered me into a back room with a hidden door. Soon we were underground again, walking towards the headquarters. Now I knew why I had not been allowed to know their exact location. Had I run there, I would have endangered every single member of the church.

The members were running around frantically, every emergency plan had to be ready should something happen. Bella and Marc told me to wait for them in our meeting room, they had to prepare a new line of command without Isabel present. The rotunda were I had first met everyone was empty except for Thomas. With tears in his eyes he jumped at me, grabbing my collar. “What happened?! How could you let them catch her?!” he was clearly agitated but also so very afraid. 

Staring at him wordlessly he let me go after a moment of silent rage and broke down crying. Isabel must have meant much more to him than I had known. We had only met once but I felt deep compassion for the stranger crying in front of me. I had known Isabel not quite a week and already felt like she was a mother to me, he had probably known her many years an Thomas was not much older than me. Loosing his mum to the leaders, knowing her captive, it must be awful. I crouched down and we simply wept together for a small moment. I was just as shocked as he was and so very tired. My body hurt, my mind reeled, our very world had broken down. We thought we knew what would wait for us once we decided to overthrow the leaders, but you did not know betrayal and loss until you experienced it and it hurt. Every. Single. Time.

Bella and Marc entered the room, seeing us weeping on the floor. “Pull yourself together! Both of you!” Bella bellowed. “We need another plan to overthrow the leaders! Today was a setback but Isabel would want us to honour her intentions and work towards our goal.” I had not known her to be so vocal, Marc looked like the leader in their relationship. 

“Don´t talk like she is dead! We have to save her!” Thomas yelled with tears still in his eyes. They would not simply leave Isabel behind, would they?   
I had thought they were a family, one I would have wanted to join, a close knit group striving for justice in our society, following the right of score because they believed I would lead better than the corrupt leaders, would be more flexible.

“We can´t safe her, that would be too dangerous. The most important task in front of us is restoring the real right of score. We can´t led the leaders trample our ideals any longer. The 99 needs to be on top of the world and once the world acknowledges her and our church, they will bow before us. With the One at the top our church will be the most important organisation world wide.” 

They were only striving for power? I was only a puppet for them as well. Bella was not as nice as I had thought, I could not believe Isabel wanted this as well but on the other side recent events had shown me my insight on human nature was not to be trusted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and suggestions are always welcome.


	13. silent rage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jim POV  
> Sorry if it´s a little short.

When Jim came home his heart was broken. He had thought One liked him. He learned so much about her, saw her smile freely for the first time while the were shopping.  
The little girl with the frightened eyes he had met in the first week in the mansion had become a happy and cheerful woman for a few hours. They had joked and laughed.

 

Usually he did not like shopping trips but with her it had not been that bad. And then she had suddenly changed right in front of his eyes. Her cheerful demeanour had become steel and she had sent him away like any other guard, knowing very well he had to listen, no matter what he thought about her decision.

 

Once he entered the mansion Kristin stormed towards him with raging eyes. “Where is she? Why did you leave her?” she hissed. She had never been as friendly to the household as she had been to One but never had she acted so rude. “I was ordered to leave and go back.” He mumbled and tried evading her. What was her problem?

 

“Was anyone with her? Did you see where she went?” Kristin asked. He shook his head and to his surprise the little lady in front of him changed her attitude totally. She whipped out a phone and talked rapidly into it. 

“We have lost her, keep your watch on her, if you loose her as well you won´t like what we will do to you.” she hissed, apparently not bothered Jim could hear every word. At his confused glance she simply turned away, telling him to stay here and keep watch on the mansion.

 

Something was wrong, very wrong. Jim did just not know what.

 

The mansion was eerily quiet without most of the guards. Kristin had taken almost everyone with her, leaving only a few with order to contact her should One come back here. Only the household staff remained.

 

Jim wandered around for some time, anxious about what was going on. It was quite clear Kristin was not just One´s friend and leader of the household staff. She had talked like one of the undercover agents he had known in his old life.

Was One in danger? Had he left her walking straight into a trap? Or was she doing something dangerous and Kristin was there to help?

 

After a few hours Jim was called into a building in the gardens of the mansion. It seemed the missing guards had returned. The house bustled with activity. He stepped outside, taking a deep breath, waiting for what would come. He had always liked the lush greenery and big trees. Not many homes had them.

Colleagues were leading him into an unused shed, he had thought it was empty but on a chair in the middle a woman was sitting, chained and gagged. She looked beaten up and afraid. Kristin was standing at her side. “Have you ever seen this woman with the 99 outside of this house?” she asked in a commanding tone. The trained officer in him wanted to stand straight and answer right away but Jim felt something was very wrong with this setup. “One told me this woman had helped her when she got lost. What happened, why is she chained and gagged?”

“That is not your concern. You can go now.” He was dismissed without further explanations. The woman, he remembered her name was Isabel, was looking at him with pleading eyes.

 

Something was very wrong. The staff murmured like a beehive, talking in hushed whispers about the news on every channel. Seemingly the 99 was accused of high treason, not honouring the right of score and trying to degrade our society. They told him in whispers and snippets, One had tried unseating the leaders and wanted to eradicate the scores all over. She had tried becoming the only high score, the only one to rule.

 

Jim could not believe that. The cheerful girl he had met this morning went on a rebellious rampage after they had parted? She had planned to destroy their whole society all along? And a small voice was telling him, she was the 99, if they really honoured the right of score, would it not have been her right?

 

He knew he had to find out what was going on. Kristin´s sudden change in demeanour told him she could not be trusted.

Once the sun had set Jim sneaked out of the house and into the shed. The woman was still kept there. The guard at the door had been confused about the change of guard by Jim but had accepted orders like a good officer should.  
Crouching down Jim whispered to the kept woman to be silent after he removed her gag, waiting for her affirmative nod.

Once it was clear she would not scream or shout he asked her in hushed whispers what had happened to One.  
“They tried taking her. We only wanted to show the world how corrupt the leaders are and just for that they tried taking her, killing her. We could almost flee, when they got me I saw One vanish into the streets. We have to help her.” she hushed with pleading eyes.

Jim nodded with grim eyes and a hard line in his jaw and untied her silently. His current rage was almost blinding him. The small frightened girl he had met and learned to like was chased because the government he worked for was corrupt. Of course every Officer knew the nation was not what it should be but trying to kill a girl, to kill a higher score because they felt threatened was a new low, never would he have suspected that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I´m sorry for any typos and other errors. Posting from my new tablet for the first time and still struggling with the new writing program.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in the secret meeting.

The night in the meeting room had been a long one. While the others plotted Thomas and me had stood unresponsive at the side. Numb with shock and grieve. We did not want to help the church any longer but could hardly just walk away, what with the whole town looking to put me in chains and him being one of the church's leaders. We did not want to mourn Isabel like the others did for about 10 minutes until they decided to avenge her with striving for the lead of the nation. We wanted to help her, to save her and find a better way.

Well, I did and I suspected strongly Thomas had been pretty much disillusioned as well, with them giving up one of theirs so easily.

The discussions went in circles, Marc and Bella trying to get us to response, trying to convince me of their superior ways, the want for power in Bella´s eyes was almost palpable, power she wanted to get through me. It made me sick. But I had no place to go. I could not run away, living in the woods again like I had before.  
Not with the knowledge I had now. With the nation trying to destroy itself from the inside, with a rebellion using my face for their means and a government accusing me of crimes I had not committed to stay in power. 

I would only be free again once this conflict had settled down. I knew that and could not run away screaming as I would have liked.  
But we could not stay awake forever. The sun was most likely already rising again and I hadn´t slept a bit since the shopping trip with Jim.

My heart ached, thinking about Jim. It was a tiny ache more, adding to the constant burn of self loathing I had for leaving Isabel behind. 

My eyes dropped and I started slouching against Thomas, who was asleep standing, as I noticed once we both crashed down helter-skelter. 

Bella shook her head. She had been pretty cross with me for not jumping right into her plans, she had obviously thought I would be easily convinced and wanted power just as much, not thinking for even a moment anyone could possibly not want the power over a whole nation. I had been there for a short moment and tasted what that could be like at every equity trial. It was more responsibility than any one person should shoulder and more power than one person should ever have. Anybody would end up corrupt no matter the good intentions they started with.

I was not stupid enough to say anything more than Thomas had in the beginning but my silence at every question had said more than enough for everyone to understand I was not happy with the way things developed.

Bella sighed, seeing us “troublemakers” both barely awake at the floor and decided the meeting was concluded for now until we all could cool down a little.

Just when I got outside the rotunda, I heard a big commotion. Agitated church members were running down the corridor towards the secret entrance. Church guards were surrounding two people, shouting and screaming. Enraged by the intruder and obviously scared at the same time. I was so tired I could barely stand anymore, even Adrenaline could only do so much but there was an intruder, I had to know what was going on, maybe we had to flee or someone had news about Isabel.

Pushing through the crowd I saw a familiar head flashing between the guards hoods. But that was impossible, Jim couldn´t be here, he was supposed to be safe in the mansion. Leading the rest of his life in the unknown about the machinations behind. 

Even stranger someone seemed to be hanging over his shoulder. Now the shouting and unbelieving looks were explained, Jim, the guard, the former police officer, one of the wheels in the leaders machination, was carrying Isabel, the very founder and head of the Church, of the rebellion. Pushing through with much more force than before I only stopped right in front of them, yelling at the guards to lower their weapons. And really, trying to shoot in a hall full of people would have been insane regardless. Confused looks were exchanged but in the end they obeyed my command. I was still their figurehead, no matter how much I despised Bella´s approach on things.

Calling for a medic, Isabel was rushed into the infirmary, she looked beaten up and fell unconscious as soon as she saw she was safe.

I quickly ushered Jim into a room nearby before anybody thought about questioning the guy who had rescued their leader and how the heck he had managed that feat, hoping for the commotion to die down. 

With still an iron grip on his arm I whispered, “What the hell are you doing here? What have you done?” The guy had probably just shocked 20 years off my life and I was about to give him a piece of mind about reckless behaviour.

The look he gave me made my resolve falter. He was all vibrant eyes and looking at me with an intensity I had never seen before. “You are not the only one with a mind of their own and the courage to fight for their ideals.” he whispered back with a small smile on his face, though his jaw was still strained and he was far from relaxed. 

“I saw Isabel, I knew she was important and meant much to you and I realised something was very wrong with the way the leaders tried to treat you. The 99 can´t commit treason if she is the one who could make every rule.  
I have to admit I still don´t understand everything that is happening here and we will have to talk about you going behind my back, trying something as dangerous as trying to overthrow a whole government, I am literally here to protect you after all, but for now I knew I had to act and ask questions later. And most importantly, I could not leave you alone. You should never be alone little One, not if I can help it in any way.” He looked afraid, eyes darting around like he expected me to run away at his confession, to shout at him how stupid he had acted, obviously still thinking I only cherished him as guard not as a friend.

It was too much, the whole day had been too much, no the whole time since they found me and made me the 99 had been too much, the sudden responsibilities, the hurt, the betrayal, almost loosing someone dear and now I had doomed the one loyal friend I had managed to make to a life of running away, of hiding in the dark and being chased by everything he knew. 

I broke down crying right in front of him. Again, crying in front of another guy, I really was too soft for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a few more chapters until the first half of the story and arc is finished.  
> If One seems dumb and oblivious in love things it´s intentional, she is.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is not dead! Though I have to give up anything resembling a shedule for updates. If you want free time and time for your hobbies, never study law.

Gentle hands were catching me before I could hit the floor. Jim hugged me and murmured into my ear. I could not understand the words between my sobs and hysterics but the meaning was clear. He was there for me, he wouldn´t let me go, Isabel was okay, he would protect me from Kristin.

Oh god, Kristin! I had almost forgotten about her, my fear for Isabel had overruled my anger but now I remembered her betrayal with sudden clarity. How could I have been so blind, letting a spy so close, almost killing me, telling her my secrets, my dreams and wishes! I was not quite sure if I wanted her to pay for it or if I just wanted to hide in a deep hole for my own stupidity.

Once I started calming down again I felt ashamed. Jim was clearly strained, he had just singe-handedly saved the one person closest to mother I ever had and discarded his very way of live for me, he was exhausted and I was sitting here asking even more from him, basking in the warmth he was giving me.

His eyes were still gentle but clearly tired, his shoulders hunched. I slowly stood up and pulled him with me. The floors were clear again, the guards had resumed their posts. We were in the middle of the building, they did not usually patrol here more than every 30 minutes as far as I knew. Good thing Isabel had showed me a blueprint and explained the safety measures at one of our meetings. Jim seemed too tired to even ask where I was leading him, probably expecting an empty guard quarter.   
But I could not stay alone tonight and I was afraid someone would recognize him as one of my “tower guards” as they had dubbed them, making me feel like a damsel in distress someone had to safe from a tower, fighting a dragon, by calling me that. On the other side, that perspective was not exactly wrong, though I certainly hoped I was more a fighter and leader than a damsel.

Navigating through some floors, trying to evade the guards or ushering Jim quickly past them while nodding or chatting friendly with them, we reached my quarters. They were not big and I had never stayed here for a night as well.   
Until now we had only withdrawn into these rooms to talk in private, Isabel and me that is. Chatting for a few minutes between the interview planning that had spectacularly gone to shit and my way back into the stuffy tower. I had liked those moments, few as they had been and was more than glad Isabel may sit here again and was not a captive of war. Of a war that officially did not even exist and never would should we loose.

A few plushy chairs in different pastel colours were sitting around a table, behind a sliding door of metal a bed was waiting for me. No, for us. 

I was a little surprised Jim was not objecting to his quarters, he had simply sat down into one of the chairs. He must have been a lot more exhausted than I had expected. Putting up a brave and strong front as long as he had not been sure we were safe. He would most likely not feel safe in this building for a long time as well but exhaustion overtook him. I was still not sure what I should tell the others, how to explain Jim´s role in Isabel´s rescue without them accusing him of being a spy. If I had not been so sure of his character, if I had not seen his face when he had confessed his feeling to me, I would have thought exactly the same. 

Looking for clean clothes I opened the bedroom and searched through the drawers, glad the church had provided emergency equipment, including clothes that would fit me and even a simple nightgown and a hairbrush. We had hoped I would not have to flee from the tower for some time but it had always been a possibility and thus we had planned accordingly.  
Discarding the nightgown in favour of a comfortable shirt and soft pants I walked back to Jim, who seemed dazed, maybe he was sleeping with his eyes open. I crouched down and his expression focused on me. Leading him into the adjacent bathroom I told him to get clean. I did not have new clothes for him, this room was only outfitted for me.

Once Jim exited the bathroom, looking a lot better and cleaner now, he noticed the double bed for the first time and also the lack of any other surfaces fitting for sleeping, like a couch. With wide eyes he stood still, clearly trying to come up with an answer why he was suddenly supposed to sleep in a bed with The One, with the girl he had just confessed to at least like if not love and given up his way of live for.

I had to suppress a giggle, “Don´t worry, I won´t bite. We need to convince the church you are no danger or spy and I would not want anyone to find or imprison you while I was sleeping in here, thus you will stay with me until matters are resolved.” I was not at all worrying he would try anything untowards. Jim had always been the perfect gentleman and to tell the truth I believed him to be much too afraid of a possible rejection to try anything.

He seemed to calm down a little and his exhaustion did the rest. He slowly walked towards the bed, lying at the very edge, almost falling out of it and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.  
I took the other side, a lot more relaxed and did the same. Adrenalin and shock sure made you sleep fast and dreamless.

That is until a loud explosion woke me. Thomas was storming into my room, not even hesitating for a moment after seeing a guy lying at my side, with an arm over my hip, and pulled me out of the bed. Jim was standing as well and had surely attacked Thomas had not been the bed between them and had I not clearly not felt threatened by his presence. His urgency was another matter though. “We need to get out of here, quick! The leaders have found our headquarters, Kristin is leading an attack. They are right now bombing the perimeters, telling the people we have fled and they are only destroying our underground roads if the broadcast is any indication. If we are not fast enough, we will be buried.” 

That got me awake a lot faster than I would have even thought possible. I took Jim´s arm, he was clearly still bewildered and trying to protect me from everyone and he did not know the underground roads. Everybody living here had been given a clear path should anything like this ever happen. Thomas a me knew where to go and I just pulled Jim behind us. Our road led us near the hospital wing and I tugged Thomas and Jim until they followed me. I would not leave Isabel again.   
Once was more than enough, I did not think I could live with myself should anything happen to her and I had gotten away unscathed again. 

She was still battered and the staff was trying it´s best to get the Injured out as fast and save as possible while the ceiling started crumbling right over them. Most of them were simple training injuries or colds and thus could run on their own, Isabel was another matter. After making sure she was awake and knew what was happening, I was sure she had a concussion, her eyes were not focusing right, Thomas and Jim took her and we hurried to our save way out. I had to run away from dangers often in my live but the fear of being buried alive and running from the very building I had just been sleeping in was something very different and a lot more terrifying than I would have ever expected.

We made the door to another secret tunnel, every loud boom and crack in the ceiling made us run a little faster. This tunnel was not shaking as hard as the centre we had just evacuated and the ceiling had not as many cracks. Still, we had to hurry, the earth was shaking here as well. Most of the hospital staff and some guards were with us and we all ran towards our safety, trying not to panic in the small dark tunnel. It felt like an eternity but I knew you only needed around ten minutes walking to get across the tunnel and we were running like the devil was behind us. And he was as far as I was concerned.

Seeing the door open and light flooding in was beautiful. I could have wept to see the open sky, a sky that would not crumble and bury us. The sun was setting but it was still bright enough. I had slept for some time.   
While many gathered near the door in a shack we had used for hiding, having orders to wait there until new orders came out, I needed to get away. And Jim and Thomas, still carrying Isabel were following me without a question or second thought. We ran further until I saw the city border. Not stopping, though we all were exhausted I took us into the woods. This was where I felt safe, where I knew how to survive and where nobody could find us easily. The nation was hunting us, the church was clearly not to be trusted as well. I needed to get away, to safe the only family I still had. And we ran as far as we could.

I stopped at a big tree far into the woods and we all broke down, panting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear if you like my story or if I have lost my last reader with my prolonged absence. Thank you for staying and reading.


End file.
